Thursday, December 18, 2014

Suljic Named National Player of the Week


PALATINE, Ill. – The NJCAA national office announced the Men's Basketball Players  of the Week, and Harper freshman forward Admir Suljic (Chicago, Ill. /Lane Tech) has been named the NJCAA Division III National Player of the Week for the week of Dec. 1-7.

In Suljic's one game during that time period, he played a huge part in the Hawks' 90-81 road win against the Olivet Nazarene University JV team. The 6-foot-5 forward poured in a career-high 35 points on 11-of-18 shooting, including seven 3-pointers. He showed off his versatility as he also snagged 12 rebounds, handed out six assists, and blocked three shots.

Men's Basketball: Admir Suljic National Player of the Week 2014
Suljic was named the NJCAA Div. III Player of the Week. (Jim Cummins)
"Admir is a high-level player. He has worked tirelessly on transitioning to the speed of the college game, and it was only a matter of time before he found his groove and had a statement game," said Harper head coach Justin Welke.

In 11 games this year, Suljic is averaging 16.4 PPG, 4.5 RPG, and 2.2 SPG. The freshman is shooting 47.5 percent (28-of-59) from 3-point territory.

"He's so dependable and committed; he never takes a day off and always finds a way to balance and prioritize," Welke said. "Both athletically and academically, he embodies what the Harper basketball program is all about."

Harper Men Close the Deal

Box Score

PALATINE, Ill. –The Harper College men's basketball team held an 11-point halftime lead over Illinois Valley Community College , but a reenergized Eagles squad took a lead for a brief period midway through the second half. The Hawks (6-7) regained their composure and outscored their opponents 23-12 over the final 8:05 to come away with a 77-69 victory.

Jazz Drane's layup with 8:55 left gave the Eagles (5-7) a 57-54 lead, but Dvonta Jones (Joliet, Ill./Joliet West) and Robert Hudson (Hoffman Estates, Ill./Conant), who both came off the bench, sparked a Harper comeback. Jones' free throws cut the deficit to one, and Hudson got to the line and knocked down a pair as well. Hudson's layup with 5:54 remaining gave the Hawks a 60-59 lead that they would not relinquish.

Reigning NJCAA Region IV Div. III Player of the Week Admir Suljic came to life offensively, knocking down a 3-pointer to push the lead to 66-61. On the next possession, Suljic converted a three-point play to extend the advantage to 69-61 with 2:56 left. The Eagles would get no closer than within six in the closing minutes.

Men's Basketball: Jalon Roundy 2014-15
The Hawks came away with a 77-69 victory over Illinois Valley on Tuesday night. (Jim Cummins)
Suljic scored a team-high 18 points and added seven rebounds. Jones, Hudson, and Jalon Roundy (Palatine, Ill./Fremd) each scored 10 points in the victory, and Davion Benton (Chicago, Ill. /Alcott College Prep) grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds. Tyree Coe led the Eagles with 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting.

Illinois Valley struggled from the foul line, making only 11-of-23 attempts. Harper converted 17-of-24 attempts from the line.

The Hawks closed on a 13-2 run over the final 5:59 of the first half for a 36-25 lead, highlighted by a pair of Benton dunks and a Suljic dunk.

Harper plays its next game on Thursday at Richard J. Daley College (0-12) in Chicago.

Herzog, Hawks Find a Way

Box Score
Daily Herald Article

PALATINE, Ill. –
The Harper College women's basketball team led 56-55 with 2:34 remaining in the game against Illinois Valley Community College on Tuesday night when Hawks leading scorer Joslyn Nicholson (/Cary-Grove) fouled out. Forced to play 4-on-5, the Hawks, led by point guard Kim Herzog (/Buffalo Grove), held on for a dramatic 65-63 win.

Women's Basketball: Kim Herzog 2014-15
Herzog scored nine of her 16 points in the closing minutes to help the Hawks get a 65-63 victory over Illinois Valley. (Jim Cummins)
Herzog scored nine of her 16 points down the stretch, including several key buckets. She split a pair of free throws to make it 57-55 with 2:10 remaining. After a stop on the defensive end, Herzog calmly knocked down two more free throws to give the Hawks (6-7) a 59-55 advantage with 1:34 left. Following an Illinois Valley (2-7) turnover, Herzog made a driving layup with under a minute remaining to stretch the lead to 61-55. A free throw from Ashonte Sims (/Normal Community West) gave Harper a 62-55 edge with 44 seconds left.

The Eagles made things very interesting in the closing seconds. Kaylee Kingen knocked down a 3-pointer, and Mia Porter scored off a Harper turnover to cut the lead to 62-60. After another Hawks blunder, Kingen went to the line and split a pair of free throws to make it a one-point game.

The Hawks turned it over again, but Lane Winkler (Arlington Heights, Ill./Rolling Meadows) stole a Raley Mauck (team-high 17 points) pass and was fouled. She sank both free throws to give Harper a 64-61 lead. Illinois Valley's Becca Herrman (14 points) knocked down a pair of free throws with four seconds left to trim the lead to 64-63.

The Eagles fouled Herzog on the ensuing inbound pass. She hit one of two from the line, and Kingen's three-quarter-court shot came up short, giving Harper the victory.

"With only four players, I knew that we had to step up. I just took charge," Herzog said. "It makes me feel really good because I love to score, and I haven't really been doing it that much."

Nicholson, the reigning NJCAA Region IV Div. III Player of the Week, led the Hawks with a game-high 29 points (11-of-22 shooting) and 15 rebounds. Harper also got 10 points each from Winkler and Ashonte Sims (/Normal Community West) and a stout effort defensively from Shannon Koch (/Prospect).

Harper plays its next game on Thursday evening against Ancilla College (7-5) inside the Wellness & Sports Center. Tipoff is set for 5 PM, and you can follow the Hawks' Twitter, @HarperHawks , for live in-game updates.



Suljic Selected Player of the Week


PALATINE, Ill. – Just five days after Harper College men's basketball player Admir Suljic (Chicago, Ill. /Lane Tech) was named the NJCAA Div. III National Player of the Week, Suljic was selected as the NJCAA Region IV Div. III Player of the Week.

Men's Basketball: Admir Suljic 2014-15
Suljic was named Region IV Div. III Player of the Week. (Jim Cummins)
Suljic, a 6-foot-5 forward averaged 21 PPG and 5 RPG in two games last week. He poured in a game-high 24 points and grabbed eight rebounds in a road win over Oakton Dec. 9.  In a loss at Parkland College on Saturday, he scored a game-high 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting.

In 12 games this season, Suljic is averaging a team-best 16.5 PPG to go along with 4.3 RPG and 2.3 SPG. Suljic has drilled 30 3-pointers on just 64 attempts (46.9 percent) for the year.

Nicholson Selected Player of the Week

Region IV Report
Daily Herald Article


PALATINE, Ill. – In the Region IV Report released on Monday morning, Harper sophomore Joslyn Nicholson (/Cary-Grove) was selected as the NJCAA Region IV Div. III Player of the Week.

Nicholson, a 5-foot-10 forward, averaged 26 PPG, 14 RPG, and 4.5 SPG in two games last week while shooting 79% from the free throw line. She scored a career-high 32 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in a come from behind 70-65 win over Oakton Community College Dec. 9. Nicholson had 20 points, 13 rebounds, and five steals against Kennedy-King College Dec. 11.
Women's Basketball: Joslyn Nicholson 2014-15
Nicholson was named Region IV Div. III Player of the Week. (Jim Cummins)

Nicholson is averaging a team-high 21.9 PPG (12th in nation), 10.8 RPG (31st in nation), and 2.7 SPG in 12 games for the Hawks. She is shooting 76.6 percent (59-of-77) from the free throw line.

Hawks Wrestle at Art Kraft Memorial Open

Full Results

RIVER GROVE, Ill. –
The Harper College wrestling team took to the mat at the 25th Art Kraft Memorial Open on Saturday at Triton College. A number of Hawks had noteworthy performances, highlighted by Matthew Conrad (/Barrington)'s third place finish at 141 pounds.

Conrad pinned Trion's Philip Besser in just over two minutes to advance to the semifinals, where he lost a 2-0 decision to Davenport's Connor Hughes. He rebounded in the third place match, topping his teammate Corey Cross (/Thornton Fractional South), 14-3, in the third place match.

Wrestling: Art Kraft Memorial Open 2014
Conrad (left) and Cross (right) took third and fourth place at 141 pounds. (Jim Cummins)
At 125 pounds, Zachery McCullough (/Elgin) took fifth place in a 12-man field, posting a 3-2 record. McCullough opened the day with two wins and finished his day with a win over Triton's James Pellegrino. Cory Pych (/South Elgin) placed finish at 149 pounds as he posted a 2-2 record on the day. His two wins came in convincing fashion, a 16-1 first round victory over Triton's Shawn Swiderek and a victory by fall over teammate Nenif Keso (/Maine East) in the fifth place match.

Justin Bernero (/Crystal Lake Central) claimed fifth place at 174 pounds. His victories both came by fall over Triton's Matt Murphy and Elmhurst's Emmet McGovern. Finally, Daniel Draski (/Willowbrook) and Lavontay Cobb (/King College Prep) placed fourth and fifth at 197 pounds. Draski's most impressive win of the day was a pin of Lincoln's Tanner VanDalsen in just 38 seconds. Cobb had a 3-1 win over Lincoln's Tucker Harn in his second match of the day.

The Hawks return to competition on Dec. 29 and 30 for the Midlands Wrestling Championship at Northwestern University in Evanston.

Alumni Basketball Event Scheduled for January 31, 2015

PALATINE, Ill. – The Harper College men's basketball program and the Office of Alumni Relations will be hosting an alumni basketball event on Saturday, January 31, 2015 for former Harper basketball players and their families.

Men's Basketball: Alumni Event 2015
All former Harper College men's basketball players are invited to the alumni basketball event on January 31, 2015.
The Hawks take on N4C foe Rock Valley College that day at 3 PM. The schedule for the day will go as follows:

3 PM: Harper Men's Basketball vs. Rock Valley in the Wellness & Sports Center (Building M)
Halftime: Ceremony to honor Harper men's basketball alumni
5:15 PM: Complimentary postgame pizza reception with current and former players upstairs in Building M
*You will also be receiving a free Alumni Basketball t-shirt for your attendance

If you are interested in being a part of this event, please contact head men's basketball coach Justin Welke (jwelke@harpercollege.edu or 773-359-3553) or Sports Communications Assistant Bill Smith (wsmith@harpercollege.edu or 847-925-6000 x2034) to RSVP and let them know your shirt size.